SEALs & the Maersk Alabama: AR15, M-14, or bolt action .308?

[rcmodel]

Three shots, three kills, through the hardened glass viewport of a lifeboat, from and at bobbing watercraft, in the dead of night, is simply beyond the possibility of reality, SEAL Snipers or not.

I never knew any SEAL Snipers.

But I did know a bunch of Army Snipers. And shot competition with & against them.

Also Marine, and Air Force AMU shooters, which are close to the same thing.

I can assure you sir, that any one of them could have made those shots with one arm tied behind his back.

As for the hardened glass lifeboat port?
I doubt it would stand up against a .50 Barrett at 30 yards. Or even an M-14.

rc

 

[MisterMike]

Assuming the President is really the one who gave the OK to engage if the ship's captain was in danger... I say bravo to him getting out of the way and letting these fine professionals do their job.

Roger that. We bash him quite a bit here, but he made the right call in giving the military the latitude to act decisively. I hope this is indicative of how he will will act when confronted with similar issues in th future.

 

[doorman]

Are'nt there contractors, something like Blackwater, that could board the ship and provide protection while in the danger zone and then disembark before the ship enters a port. I realize that this is a huge area to protect but shipping companies could just contract the protection out.

 

[sarduy]

so.. what weapon they use?

 

[HorseSoldier]

Are'nt there contractors, something like Blackwater, that could board the ship and provide protection while in the danger zone and then disembark before the ship enters a port. I realize that this is a huge area to protect but shipping companies could just contract the protection out.

That would be pretty simple, I agree -- but it would cost pretty serious $$$, and so . . .

 

[lipadj46]

That would be pretty simple, I agree -- but it would cost pretty serious $$$, and so . . .

That would be a logistical nightmare and also expensive. As long as Somalia is a lawless, war mongering, dirt poor, cesspool with no hope of any kind of economic stability this stuff will continue. Just wait until terrorists get in on the action (just a matter of time). We should be doing what we do best sending in a drone and bombing targets of opportunity.

 

[ants]

They used Assault Weapons.

And Cop Killer bullets.

With thingies that go over the shoulder.

That they got in Mexico, smuggled across the border by straw purchasers.




Because we all know that those are the most dangerous and deadly things every made by man.
This proves they oughta be banned.

 

[yokel]

The real question is...what would the uber elite THR Spec Ops Command use in this instance?

8mm Mauser really can ruin a pirate's day:

 

[earplug]

Cool use of the intrenching tool to support the raised knee.
Is that just my thought on the picture or was this somthing learned or trained?

 

[rswartsell]

doorman is onto something.

In the golden age of piracy in the western hemisphere and off the west coast of Africa, privateers with letters of marque for pirate hunting were most effective in eliminating the rampant pirate threat, along with the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy was stretched thin and enlisted "for profit " help.

Lt. Robert Maynard, (Royal Navy with mercenary help)who beat Blackbeard at his own game, and Capt. Chaloner Ogle, who bested Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts. The privateer Governor of Port Royal whose name escapes me.

Most of us here believe that "you are safe in your beds because rough men lie awake ready to do violence on your behalf". The profit motive is an accelerant and a corrupting influence both. When the disruption of shipping becomes more expensive than the "privateers" then this will become very practical. I'd say that we already could see handsome bounties that would be attractive.

When the militaries (naval) were overextended by revolution and foreign wars privateers solved this problem once in human history. Perhaps it will repeat, if so then they will be put away as dangerous and no longer useful dogs would be, many to be hanged themselves.

 

[kd7nqb]

So I know its a little off the mark of the thread but think about this.

How long until we see this scenario show up at one of the cooler competitions as a "fun stage"

50yrd shot on a platform that moves a little shooting at 3 steel poppers on another moving platform.

 

[drjoker]

guided bullet 50 bmg

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6474593.html
http://starfury.blogspot.com/2008/12/pentagon-researching-guided-bullet-tech.html

Shooting a moving target from a moving vehicle on an unstable surface from 100 yards away? The Pentagon used their new toy, the guided bullet, for this mission. The guided bullet has recently been declassified. Think about it, any time in history that something has been declassified, then it has already been accomplished. They've declassified an older project that has already been accomplished to secure funding for another classified project. The Pentagon's declassifiying the guided bullet to secure funding for it means that we already have a guided bullet and the Pentagon is trying to secure funding for another covert project that has not been declassified yet using the guided bullet's funding as a cover to seek funding for another covert project.

The platform is a 50 BMG Barrett firing a guided bullet.

 

[jackdanson]

With thingies that go over the shoulder.

hah... You mean barrel shrouds?

 

[nitetrane98]

All I want to know is how they co-ordinated their shots to fire simultaneously. One, two, three FIRE? Anything less could have dire circumstances. I guess they weren't exactly bobbing their heads up and down like a Whack-a-Mole.

 

[sarduy]

something like

sniper 1-0-1.

-commander :hold scope on target, fire only on my two.!

-sniper1: rgr that.
-sniper2: copy
-sniper3: copy that

-commander: five...four...three...two..(one never happen)
-snipers: ................................ BANG

 

[Myles]

Gyroscopic mounts are hardly new technology, they have been in use for cameras for years. Hand-held, vehicle mounted, helicopter mounted, you name it.

They are just being used in new ways. I'd be surprised if the USN didn't have some rifle-mount application for snipers and other applications. We know it's in use for the big guns.

To have a stable weapons platform, regardless of the motions of the water and weather would be a fine thing.

 

[Jeremy2171]

earplug
Cool use of the intrenching tool to support the raised knee.
Is that just my thought on the picture or was this somthing learned or trained?

Optical illusion....the combat spade is in it's carrier with the bayonet on top.. it's just the way he sat that the spade and carrier fell that way.

 

[MisterMike]

Gyroscopic mounts are hardly new technology, they have been in use for cameras for years. Hand-held, vehicle mounted, helicopter mounted, you name it.

But wouldn't that only solve half the problem? While a gyro mount would compensate for movement on the platform where the shooters were located, they'd still have to deal with movement on the target vessel. Not claiming that I know . . . just asking the question.

Regardless, this seems like a shot will within the capabilities of our SF types, barring exceptional circumstances.

 

[X-Rap]

Three shots, three kills, through the hardened glass viewport of a lifeboat, from and at bobbing watercraft, in the dead of night, is simply beyond the possibility of reality, SEAL Snipers or not.

At the distance reported there is little doubt that they have equipment well within that capability. IR Lasers invisable to the pirates if they were in the open or thermal if they were under cover of the boat deck. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a shot up life boat somewhere that might have been used for a little target practice prior to them getting to the Brainbridge.

 

[RodanVsSCT]

I doubt the life boat was bobbing a lot as it was being towed from what i understand. Think of a water skiier. It was probably a trick offering to tow it as it probably steadied it some.

 

[feedthehogs]

something like

sniper 1-0-1.

-commander :hold scope on target, fire only on my two.!

-sniper1: rgr that.
-sniper2: copy
-sniper3: copy that

-commander: five...four...three...two..(one never happen)
-snipers: ................................ BANG

This is better than a 1-900 number. Hold off till I go have a cigarette.

 

[Owen]

Most likely MK11's.

The MK14 isn't a sniper rifle, and wasn't adopted to replace the MK11.

The purpose of the MK14 was to modernize the M14, so all the little froggies could shoot a 7.62 in CQB, with the SOPMOD goodies and a can.

That's not to say that the MK11 didn't have teething problems...